The Best Outcome
by SweetMemories1998
Summary: What if Gray had actually killed Juvia during their fight? An outcome that brought him immense guilt and sorrow, but she only felt relief. (Gruvia) (Pure Angst) (Final Season-EP 30) (Chapter 499 with a twist) (One-Shot)


**Good morning, dearest readers. **

**I hope you're in the mood for some angst today, because this story's nothing but sad. It was inspired by sobatsu on Tumblr (I advise you to check out her posts. They are awesome).**

**PS: Sorry to inform you that the next chapter of Between Lies won't be posted tomorrow. I haven't been able to finish it yet. Maybe next week? **

**I hope you'll enjoy!**

* * *

They knew that getting yourself distracted was the number one mistake you should never make, but once Natsu and Lucy got captured by Brandish, Gray and Juvia's attention deviated from the fight ahead.

In those few seconds that they looked away, Invel managed to trap them with his Ice-Lock; and things took a turn for the worst.

_They couldn't move. They couldn't focus. They could barely think._ Invel watched them struggle with a smile before he started dictating the rules. "Regardless of what you feel inside, you will now fight to the death."

Gray's blood ran cold. "Kill each other?" It couldn't be. He must be hearing things or imagining it.

"Yes, and you will remain in these shackles until one of you dies." The enemy explained and Juvia gasped.

_This wasn't good_. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting Gray, much less killing him. She had to find a way to destroy these shackles and soon.

It seemed as if he had the same thought because once her eyes met his again he was trying to break them.

_It didn't work._ The magic that had created the chains was far too powerful.

"No..." Gray's face paled once he realized the gravity of the situation.

"I can't..." Juvia began to panic.

"Now; you may begin." Invel commanded and suddenly their bodies moved and they started attacking each other.

Gray grew more scared with each blow he delivered and once his demon-slaying powers were released, he truly feared that he might end up killing her.

It was like being trapped the same nightmare that had haunted him over the past six months when he had been infiltrating Avatar. He remembered worrying that she would get hurt or that he may be forced to hurt her in order to prove his alliance.

Now it was coming true and there was nothing he could do about it. His thoughts weren't his own anymore, his body didn't obey him and his heart was breaking.

Unknown to him, Juvia felt the same. She was taken back to nightmares of watching him die back during the Grand Magic Games and the fear that he might get hurt in the months that followed.

However, instead of merely torturing her, she managed to convert her emotions into magic power. In this case, the power to get some clarity and control back.

Managing to focus for a few moments, she thought over what was happening and decided that the best outcome of this fight would be if Gray killed her.

There were so many reasons why he needed to survive. He was stronger than her, so he stood a better chance at defeating Invel later on. Their friends would also be sadder if he was the one who died and his death would make Ur and Ultear's sacrifices pointless.

But most of all, Juvia couldn't bear the thought of losing him. She never wanted to go through that pain again and knew that recovery would be impossible.

Thus she let her defenses fail, allowing him to hit her without fighting back.

"Juvia…I'm sorry." Gray cried once he delivered a powerful punch to her stomach, sending her back a few feet.

Both of them panted, trying to regain their balance, and their eyes met. There was so much pain in his; she knew it must be killing him. "It's okay, darling. I'm okay."

"I ordered you to fight, not chat." Invel intervened, but they managed to ignore him.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Juvia offered a pained smile.

"I know, my love." How would he manage to recover from this, she wondered? "But it will be alright."

Gray swallowed hard; tears threatening to fall. "No, it won't."

Both groaned once the Ice-Lock became stronger and all control was lost. The fight resumed, although this time it was more balanced and equal.

He would attack her, she would attack him and neither would back down.

At one point, Juvia managed to wound his chest with her water-slicer. It was a severe injury, but he quickly used ice to cover it.

Then, he created a sword and she knew it was over. Even before he came at her, burying the weapon in her stomach, she knew that this was the end of the fight.

_Was it wrong of her to feel relieved even as she was about to die?_

Gray removed the sword, letting it fall to the ground, and watched her impassively.

Then, as he regained some clarity once the shackles started to rot and the spell diminished, the reality of what he had just done sank in. "No! No, please…"

Juvia gasped due to the pain and her already weakened body fell forward. He acted quickly and caught it before she reached the ground; gently cradling her in his arms.

"Juvia…" The tears came; streaming down his face and onto hers.

"It's okay." She used what little strength she had left to raise a hand, bringing it to his face and wiping away a few tears.

"I hurt you." He looked down at the large gash on her stomach. "I didn't want to, but I wasn't strong enough."

"I know." She whispered, taking in a sharp breath.

"I'm so sorry." He sobbed even harder and she tried smiling.

"It's not...your fault." There were so many things she wanted to say, but even breathing was hard enough.

Noticing that she was quickly fading away, Gray started to get desperate. "Wendy! Where are you?!"

_Nothing. No answer._ He continued to yell for his friends; for anyone to come help them; but no one came. Juvia was dying and there was no one to save her.

Even as he tried his best to contain the bleeding, sealing the wound with ice, it wasn't enough. She had already lost a lot of blood and the cold wasn't helping improve her condition.

"Juvia, please." He cradled her in his arms, unable to stop crying.

"It will be okay." She could barely keep her eyes open. It wouldn't be long now.

"I can't...I can't lose you." Gray knew that he had no right to be upset when he had caused this. "Not like this."

"I didn't...want to lose you either." Juvia admitted and he tensed.

"Wendy! Please, come over here!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, but there was still no answer.

Gray was tired, exhausted really. His whole body hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain within his heart. Knowing that he had hurt her and was about to cause her death; he couldn't take it.

"Gray..." Juvia called him in a soft whisper and he immediately looked at her. "I just...wanted to..." She never got to finish her sentence since her heart suddenly stopped.

Just like that, she was gone. Gray couldn't save her, couldn't make up for abandoning her all those months before and, worst of all, he never got to tell Juvia that he loved her.


End file.
